Inconsistency in MIDI export of (de)crescendo dynamics

• Jun 12, 2021 - 16:13

Hello,

OS: Windows 10 (10.0), Arch.: x86_64, MuseScore version (64-bit): 3.6.2.548021803, revision: 3224f34

I've been trying for some time to handle a situation that I don't quite know how to approach. I'm writing a score for violin and exporting it via MIDI to a DAW (Cakewalk 2021.04, if it matters), and then playing that MIDI through a sample-based VST (VSCO2 Violin, again, if it matters).

From what I gather, Musescore can render dynamics in MIDI in one of three ways. Either velocity only, controller only or mixied (the default).

Velocity only kills single-note dynamics, so that's a non-starter. The other two, however, each have their own problems.

Controller only plays every note at 127. For envelope-based synths, that's fine, as the velocity doesn't really affect the color of the note anyway. But for sample-based synths (good ones, at least), a note played at 80 sounds very different from a note played at 127. It's fine for f and above, but for mf and below, it sounds like the violinist wants to kill someone and so they sat him way in the back...

Mixed mode is where the inconsistency hits. Musescore outputs a value for the velocity of the note, and then the same value for the expression controller. Again, it works fine for f and above, but for mf and below, it sounds like the violinist is afraid to be heard at all.

Ideally, expression events should be output only for single-note dynamics, and even then, they should always max out at 127 for any given note.

Is there anything I can do in Musescore to make it output MIDI like that?

Cheers,
J.

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